Lowering Your Grocery Bill

If you are looking to lower your grocery bill or wondering how are you going to survive on food stamps, then this article is for you. This is the first in a series of articles on grocery shopping that will help you survive the food price increases and shrinking product sizes and stretch your food dollar.

When you look on the Internet for tips on grocery shopping, most of the sites you find fall into one of two camps, the cooking everything from scratch camp and the shopping with coupons camp.
I fall right in the middle of these two camps. I believe to lower your grocery bill the lowest it can be, you need to use a variety of methods. I use a combination of cooking from scratch, using coupons, stockpiling, and obtaining free samples to keep my grocery bill down, provide for my family, and to be able to help others.

The first step is to stock your pantry with the basics to be able to cook from scratch. If you are on food stamps or have a small grocery budget, when your food supply starts running low and you don't have grocery money yet, you can cook from scratch. You can also stretch your groceries by cooking from scratch throughout the month.

Here are my suggestions for the bare minimum to stock your pantry with:

baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, cocoa, cornstarch, food coloring, salt, pepper, vinegar, yeast, ketchup, grape jelly, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, powdered milk, boxed puddings, vegetable oil, cornmeal,
all purpose flour, white rice, egg noodles, elbow noodles, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti noodles, beef bouillon cubes, chicken bouillon cubes, maple flavoring or extract, vanilla, basil, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon, garlic powder, garlic salt, marjoram, onion powder, oregano, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, powdered sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, dried beans, peanut butter, ramen noodles, spaghetti sauce, cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, tomato soup, can tomatoes diced, tomato paste, tomato sauce, graham crackers, saltines, bread, oatmeal, grits, instant mashed potatoes, popcorn

eggs, pickles, salsa (if you like it), sour cream, whole or skim milk (your preference), margarine or butter, American cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese

canned tuna, pepperoni, ham, ground beef, chicken (whole is the cheapest), pork chops, ground turkey (if you like it), sandwich meats

coffee, tea, kool-aid packets or comparable brand, orange juice (canned is the cheapest)

fresh fruits, canned fruits, canned vegetables, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, mushrooms (add or take away as you like)

I know this seems like a big list. The spices can be bought at the dollar store or at a place like Big Lots fairly cheaply. I am writing this at the beginning of November and we are getting ready to be in the baking season. Baking supplies are on sale between now and Christmas so, it is a great time to stock up. Condiments and canned foods can be bought on sale and with coupons for fairly cheap. Meats should always be bought on sale. Even sandwich meat can be bought on sale and with coupons. Produce goes on sale and it is always cheaper to buy fruits and vegetables in season.

The idea is to use up the fresh fruits and vegetables first and then use your canned supply. That way nothing gets wasted and you are able to have fruits and vegetables throughout the month.

Let me give you an idea of what you can do from scratch: chicken & dumplings, muffins, pancakes, spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, you can even make spaghetti noodles, cookies, cakes, soups, & casseroles. The list is truly endless.

Check out http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ and look at the articles and recipes for some great cooking from scratch recipes. Check out the old site and the new site. The link takes you to the new site but, everything hasn't been added yet, so there is a link there to go to the old site also. If you are looking at ways to save money, plan to stay awhile at this site because there are plenty of ideas and recipes there that can help.
The best frugal cookbook I have found by far is the "Dining On A Dime" cookbook by Tara Jean Kellam. This book used to be called "Not Just Beans" but, has been updated and is even available as an e-book.
This one costs some money but, I promise it is definitely worth every penny. It will save you money from the day you get it. Here is a link to get the e-book: http://www.livingonadime.com/go.php?offer=resurvival&pid=22&tid=resurvival. Not only does this book have recipes for food, it also has the mix in a jar recipes that are great Christmas presents and recipes for kids like finger paints, chalk, slime, play dough, & so much more. There are even recipes to make home made cleaners. I love this book and recommend it without any reservation.

My next article will be about shopping with coupons...so stay tuned.